Magdalen Islands

Magdalen Islands (măgˈdələn) [key] or Îles-de-la-Madeleine ēl-də-lä-mädlĕnˈ, group of nine main islands and numerous islets (1991 pop. 13,991), Que., Canada, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence N of Prince Edward Island. They were discovered (1534) by Jacques Cartier. The main islands are Alright, Amherst, Brion, Coffin, East, Entry, Grindstone, Grosse, and Wolf. Fishing and sealing are the chief occupations of the islanders, most of whom are of French descent.